1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a library apparatus which stores a large number of cartridges such as magnetic tape cartridges and optical disk cartridges, and which transfers the cartridges through an accessor to a deck for processing a storage medium accommodated within each of the cartridges, and more particularly to a library apparatus constructed by coupling a plurality of lockers and having a traveling passage for accessors which is formed to penetrate the plurality of lockers.
2) Description of the Related Art
In general, a library apparatus functions as a large-capacity external storage memory, and a storage rack in its locker stores several thousands of cartridges each accommodating, for example, a magnetic tape as a storage medium, and access such as write/read of recording/recorded data is automatically done in relation to the storage medium within each of the cartridges.
Furthermore, the library apparatus is equipped with the aforesaid storage rack for storing the cartridges, a plurality of magnetic tape decks (which will be referred hereinafter to as decks) for conducting access such as write/read of recording/recorded data with respect to a storage medium (magnetic tape) within a cartridge, and an accessor (cartridge transferring robot) for performing the conveyance of the cartridges between the storage rack and the decks.
Commonly, this library apparatus is made up of a storage unit having a storage rack for storing a large number of cartridges, a drive unit incorporating decks, an accessor unit functioning as a garage for accessors, a unit including a controller or the like for controlling the accessors, and other units.
Each of these units is constructed as being one locker, and the arrangement of the whole library apparatus relies on the connections among a plurality of lockers (units). In addition, with the plurality of lockers being in connection, a traveling passage for the accessors is defined in these lockers to penetrate them.
In the library apparatus thus arranged, in response to an access request to one cartridge from a host unit or the like, the accessor travels within the passage to come to the storage rack to search a directing cartridge there, and subsequently, a hand mechanism grips that cartridge and transfers it to the deck for insertion into the deck.
With these operations, in that deck, given processing is one in relation to the storage medium (magnetic tape) within the inserted cartridge. After the completion of the processing, the cartridge discharged from the deck is again gripped by the hand mechanism and conveyed by the accessor up to the storage rack to be stored at a given position.
In the prior library apparatus, a dedicated cartridge delivering and receiving mechanism is provided at every deck, and the insertion/extraction of the cartridge into/from the deck are done through the use of this cartridge delivering and receiving mechanism. That is, the accessor is not made to directly carry out the insertion/extraction of the cartridge into/from the deck.
Recently, for the purpose of the size and cost reduction of the library apparatus, requirements have arisen for enabling the accessor to directly conduct the insertion/extraction of the cartridge with respect to the deck without the interposition of the cartridge delivering and receiving mechanism. For meeting the requirements, in addition to enhancing the control accuracy of the hand mechanism of the accessor, there is a need to enhance the traveling accuracy and positional accuracy of the accessor within the locker penetrating passage in a manner of improving the coupling accuracy and positioning accuracy among the plurality of lockers.
In the construction of the library apparatus, merely coupling the plurality of lockers can not provide the sufficient coupling accuracy and the positioning accuracy, so that difficulty can be encountered for the accessor to find the cartridge stored position with a high accuracy and further to carry out the insertion/extraction of a cartridge into/from a given cell of the storage rack or a given deck.
The present invention has been developed with a view to eliminating such a problem, and it is therefore an object of this invention to provide a library apparatus which is capable of enhancing the coupling accuracy and the positioning accuracy among a plurality of lockers to the traveling accuracy and positional accuracy of an accessor within a passage penetrating these lockers so that the accessor can surely accomplish the insertion/extraction of a cartridge into/from a storage rack or a deck.
For this purpose, in accordance with the present invention, a library apparatus comprises a storage rack for storing cartridges each accommodating a storage medium, a deck for carrying out access to the storage medium within the cartridge, and an accessor for transferring the cartridge between the storage rack and the deck, and is constructed by coupling a plurality of lockers in which a traveling passage for the accessor lies to penetrate the plurality of lockers, wherein a supporting member which holds a rail for guiding the accessor along a direction of coupling the plurality of lockers within the passage is installed in the coupling direction for each of the lockers, and a positioning groove in which a bar-like tool is fitted when positioning the adjacent lockers with respect to each other is made in an end portion of the supporting member in the coupling direction.
In the library apparatus thus arranged according to this invention, for coupling the lockers adjacent to each other, in a state where the adjacent lockers are disposed in an opposed relation to each other, the bar-like tool is fitted in both the positioning grooves of the supporting members of these lockers, so that the supporting members are positioned in terms of the directions perpendicular to the locker coupling direction, which can ensure the coupling accuracy and the positioning accuracy among the plurality of lockers and further permit the rail to have a high linearity. Accordingly, the accessor can surely accomplish the insertion/extraction into/from the storage rack or the deck.
In this case, it is also appropriate that, in order for the accessor to recognize its position at operation, a flag member is fitted in the vicinity of the supporting member through a screw set downwardly from the above. The way of setting the screw from the above allows the flag member to be attached to narrow portion in the vicinity of the supporting member, thus sharply improving the locker installation working efficiency.
In addition, a library apparatus according to this invention comprises a storage rack, a deck and an accessor and is constructed by coupling a plurality of lockers in which a traveling passage for the accessor is formed to penetrate them as well as the first-mentioned library apparatus, wherein sheet metal columns having a standardized structure are set vertically at corner portions of the lockers, and a plane reference plate having a vertical surface parallel to the coupling direction of the plurality of lockers and an edge surface perpendicular to the same coupling direction is attached to each of the sheet metal columns, with the vertical surface of the plane reference plate being used as a reference plane when positioning one locker with respect to the adjacent locker.
In the library apparatus thus arranged according to this invention, in coupling two adjacent lockers to each other, in a state where the two lockers are disposed to be adjacent to each other, the verticality of the lockers relative to the installation surface is adjustable while a linear member such as a metallic scale is placed concurrently into contact with the plane reference plates of the two sheet metal columns, with the result that these two lockers can be installed at the same verticality, which can ensure the coupling accuracy and the positioning accuracy among the plurality of lockers. Accordingly, the accessor can certainly accomplish the insertion/extraction of the cartridge into/from the storage rack or the deck.
In addition, it is also appropriate that a cable duct located on a base within each of the lockers in the locker coupling direction for accommodating and guiding a cable is divided into three sections along the locker coupling directions, and a central section of the three divisions of the cable duct is fixed to the locker, whereas both the end sections thereof are detachably attached to the locker. In this case, by detaching the end sections of the cable duct, base legs or the like installed under the cable duct becomes easily adjustable, thus remarkably bringing up the locker installation working efficiency.
Furthermore, in case where a shelf accommodating a plurality of printed boards functioning as a controller for the accessor is housed in at least one of the plurality of lockers, the inserting direction of a screw for fitting a back panel of the shelf to the shelf assumes only a direction perpendicular to the back panel. In this case, since the inserting direction of the back panel fitting screw is only one direction (the direction normal to the back panel), it is possible to easily conduct the back panel attaching/detaching work and hence to sharply improve the working efficiency at the maintenance and replacement of the back panel.